


The Same, But Different

by Irrealis



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesia, Gen, Memory Alteration, Unexpected Identical Twin Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 09:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17241530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irrealis/pseuds/Irrealis
Summary: Lup doesn't remember what's hidden in the vault inside Wave Echo Cave, but she knows she has to prevent these three strangers from getting to it.The fact that one of them has her face is an unexpected complication.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during Here There Be Gerblins, but contains spoilers for the entire Balance arc. Not everything in Gerblins is retold in full, so working knowledge of that arc would be useful.

**Prologue**

The world began to drip into existence around her. It started with sound, muffled at first, but slowly becoming clearer. Sensation was next, prickling across her skin, cold and damp. Then smell - dust, smoke and ash. Finally, sight returned. She was surrounded by a group of three strangers. The strength left her and she stumbled to the ground, coughing as her lungs took their first breaths.

"I cast Zone of Truth," said one of them. A human.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked up at them. They were wary of her, but at least seemed willing to give her the chance to answer their questions before acting.

"Who are you?" asked the cleric.

"Lup," she said. Her voice was hoarse, not even recognisable to her own ears.

The strangers exchanged glances, and one of them shrugged. She supposed they didn't know the name.

"What happened here?" asked the second of them.

She barely had a chance to remember before she was speaking. "I was hiding... something. Something terrible, so nobody could ever use it again. I was ambushed, and that's the last thing I remember." Suddenly frantic, she lifted her head to look at the vault. The door was blackened and dented, but still intact.

The stranger followed her gaze. "Tell me about the vault."

"It's secure. It can only be opened by Rockseeker blood." She hugged her knees tighter.

"What were you hiding?"

Guilt flooded her, then receded unbidden. She blinked, once, twice, three times. "I don't remember. Why can't I remember?" She shook her head. "I can't remember... anything."

 

* * *

 

**Chapter One**

Lup had been following the wagon for an hour, and so far none of the travellers had noticed her. She was making an effort to stay out of sight, but she wasn't convinced that she needed to.

" _How_ far is it to Wave Echo Cave?" demanded a voice from inside the wagon, dripping with whine. Lup tightened her grip on her staff.

"I _told_ you, the scale on this map is very unreliable," said the human man driving the wagon.

"Well, I'm sorry the map made of my blood isn't good enough for you," yelled the dwarf cleric, from the back of the wagon. He hadn't looked up from his books once since Lup had been following them.

Lup touched her hand to her pendant and sent out a request for assistance. She waited, one, two, ten, thirty breaths, then tried again. Nothing. If any of her clan were in range they would have at least acknowledged the request.

If the strangers had a blood map and were going to the cave, she knew what to do. Even if this was just supposed to be a reconnaissance mission, she couldn't let them pass.

Lup pulled her hood over her face, nudged her phantom steed into a gallop and overtook the wagon, planting herself directly in their path. The wagon driver cried out, pulling it to a haphazard stop on the road. "Watch it, lady!"

Lup levelled the Umbra Staff at them. "You have one minute to explain what you're doing here before you meet my fireball."

"We are but poor, lost, circus performers—" began the human.

"You're going to Wave Echo Cave," she prompted, smiling sweetly. "I want you to tell me why."

"We're on a mission from Pan," said the dwarf cleric. "You can't stop us."

She tapped her foot pointedly. "There's something extremely dangerous in Wave Echo Cave. It isn't safe for anyone to enter. You should just go home."

"Is it a giant spider?" asked the human. His hand twitched in the direction of the weapon on his back.

Lup blinked. "What? No."

"We're going to Wave Echo Cave to rescue Merle's cousin, who was kidnapped by a black spider," said the human, in apparent sincerity.

"The Black Spider is a person," said Lup, frowning. "A wizard. An _evil_ wizard."

"Oh, thank fuck," said the human.

She looked the two of them up and down. "You're going to take on the Black Spider alone?"

The third member of the group, the one she hadn't managed to spot so far, stumbled out of the wagon, clutching a wizard's hat to his head crookedly. "I'll have you know _we're_ extremely dangerous," he said.

Lup swung herself off her phantom steed's back and landed neatly on the ground. "Not as dangerous as me."

"Nice," said the elf wizard, applauding. "There aren't enough wizards who appreciate the theatre of the profession." He adjusted his hat so it wasn't covering half his face and shook his own robes out. "I'm Taako. You know, from TV?"

The whole world seemed to stop.

For a moment, all she could hear was her own heartbeat thudding in her ears. She took one breath, then another. Then she pulled her hood back and shook her hair out. "I'm Lup."

"Holy shit," said the human.

"What in the name of Pan," said the cleric.

"Wow, I didn't realise you were so good looking under the hood," said Taako. His facial expression was deceptively nonchalant, but his ears were pinned back in shock.

It wasn't like they were _exactly_ identical, she told herself. They had different hairstyles, for one thing. She had piercings he didn't.

The dwarf sidled over to the human and said, in a voice that was probably supposed to be lowered but was still perfectly audible, "I'm not being racist, right? They look exactly the same?"

The human coughed loudly. "Nice to meet you, Lup!" he interjected cheerfully. "I'm Magnus Burnsides. This is Merle Highchurch."

"And what brings you all the way out to this quote extremely dangerous unquote cave in the middle of nowhere?" asked Merle, folding his arms.

Lup tried to get her brain back on track. Every time she looked at Taako it skidded wildly off course, taking her thoughts with it. "I'm investigating reports of a wizard kidnapping dwarves and taking them to Wave Echo Cave."

"Hey, same!" said Magnus. "High five?"

She met his hand almost on instinct.

"So we should work together," said Magnus. "We have the same goal."

Merle bristled. "We don't even know who she is!"

"It's better than fighting her!" Magnus retorted. "I think it could really help us to have a fourth."

Lup considered the three of them for a moment. Taako had turned away and was now examining Saren minutely. "If you won't turn back, I'm coming with you whether you want me or not," said Lup, at last. She glanced at Taako again. "We highly attractive elf wizards need to stick together."

"I like your phantom steed," said Taako. His ear twitched.

"Thanks," said Lup. "Her name is Saren."

Saren whickered appreciatively.

She really should be Sending a message to Kunal to let him know her plans. But she didn't think "I'm teaming up with three strangers to fight a Category Five because they seem nice and one of them has my face" would go down well.

Better to ask forgiveness than permission. And she was going to need all her spell slots if she was heading into Wave Echo Cave after the Black Spider.

"Fine," said Merle. "But we need to get moving. My cousin is in danger!"

It was time for Saren to dissipate anyway, so Lup hopped onto the wagon next to Taako.

The road inched away beneath them. Magnus was steering, at least nominally, although the mule seemed to be content to follow the road without much input from him.

Magnus turned back to face her. "So, Lup. What do you... do."

"I'm a wizard hunter," said Lup.

Taako stiffened. "I, uh. I'm a wizard."

"I'm a wizard too, doofus. I hunt _evil_ wizards."

"Hmm," said Taako. "How about occasionally amoral wizards?"

"If you're not destroying whole towns just for funsies, we're probably good," she replied incredulously.

Taako's ear flicked. "Right. Sure. Why would I do that?"

Which was suspicious, but Lup could look into that later.

The road continued to pass beneath them. She could see the same signs ahead of them that she'd been seeing all the way along it, of multiple wagons and hoofed mammals passing by what should have been overgrown mess. The mine had been lost for years.

Why hadn't Kunal told her about this sooner?

There was nothing inherently sinister about Wave Echo Cave, but as soon as the sound of the waves crashing deep inside it reached her ears, Lup was unable to avoid a shiver that ran down her spine.

That lingering dread was proven prescient when they reached the entrance to the cave and Merle let out a distressed wail. He fell to his knees by the dwarf corpse and sobbed. "Tharden, you fool!"

While Taako busied himself with liberating the corpse of valuables, Lup caught Merle's attention. "Merle, I'm so sorry."

"I should have known. I should have been here sooner! Why didn't Gundren trust us?"

Lup froze. "Gundren? Is that your cousin? The one who hired you?"

"Gundren Rockseeker," said Merle. He sniffled. "He... He promised us it would be the last job we'd ever take, whatever that means."

"Oh fuck," said Lup.

 

* * *

 

Wave Echo Cave was just as awful as she remembered. The others didn't seem to sense it, but she could feel the tension creeping up her spine with every step deeper into the cave they took.

"So what's with the umbrella?" asked Taako, from where he was sauntering along behind her.

"It's my wand," said Lup, thankful for the distraction. She stopped to wait for Taako to catch up. "Why?"

"Nothing, nothing, it's just it's a look."

"I happen to like it," she said frostily.

"We're not exactly a balanced party," said Magnus. "Two wizards, a cleric and a fighter? Why aren't you a rogue? Rogues are cool," he continued, waving his hands enthusiastically.

"I enjoy blowing things up," said Lup. "Magic's good for that."

"You're evocation?" asked Taako. He looked disapproving. "Cha'boy's transmutation. You gotta be constantly changing to stay relevant, y'know?"

"Well, there's no accounting for taste," said Lup. "Transmutation is fine, but evocation is where it's at."

Lup had been dealing with the lingering dread of possibility that the reason she didn't have any memories was because there was nothing to remember - that she was a clone or simulacrum of Taako, or perhaps he was a clone too and there was some original source for both of them still out there.

The more she got to know Taako, the less likely this seemed.

"I'm just saying that—" Taako began.

"Shh," said Magnus. "Did you hear that?"

\--

Fighting sentient jellies in a field of sound-activated attack mushrooms would have been a lot more straightforward if any of Lup's new companions understood SoulKeeper Clan hand gestures.

"You almost set me on fire!" Merle complained, holding up the singed corner of his robe. "I knew it was a bad idea to bring you along."

"Only because you wouldn't get out of the way," said Lup. "I did the best I could to sculpt it around you. _Taako_ gave me space."

Taako looked smug. Merle looked disgruntled.

\--

It would also be nice if any of them acted at all like they'd worked as a team before.

"We are so lucky we found this spring," said Lup. She'd missed her spell slots.

"I'm sorry, okay?" snapped Merle. "We only took this job on as a favour to my cousin. The cousin who might be dead by now, thanks for asking."

"I thought we took it on because he promised us it would make us rich beyond imagining," said Taako.

"I mean, fair," said Lup.

 

* * *

 

On the second day of their seemingly endless slog through the tunnel, Lup caught Taako's arm and held him back behind while the others continued, oblivious.

"I thought we should have a serious talk, because... you know." She gestured between them.

"Yeah," he said. He glanced at her sidelong. "I'm trying not to think about it too hard. It hurts when I do."

"Me too," she admitted. She knotted her hands behind her head. "So... what was your childhood like? Any siblings who mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again?"

"No siblings, not that I know of, no." He cocked his head to the side. "Mm, well, I didn't really have a stable home growing up. I was an orphan, they kind of passed me between relatives until I was old enough to get a job with a caravan."

"That sounds hard," said Lup.

He shrugged. "What about you?"

"I don't really remember much before the last decade," she said. "But what you said sounds... familiar."

"My head hurts again," complained Taako. His ears were flat back against his skull.

Lup cursed, and rubbed her temples in frustration. It did nothing to help the pain. "I know a lot about magic, Taako, but I can't think of anything that would have caused this."

"Well," said Taako. "Maybe you forgot that, too."

"Whatever it is, it feels big," said Lup.

They walked in silence for a while. Lup concentrated on things that weren't Taako until her head stopped hurting so much.

"So what's your story?" asked Taako, a little too casually. "Why don't you remember anything?"

Lup considered her words carefully. "I was rescued from here - from Wave Echo Cave. That's how I got the wizard hunting gig. The people who saved me adopted me into their clan." She shrugged. "I don't know what kind of person I was before. I don't even remember what I was doing in the cave, not really. I hope I was a good person, but I have no way to know."

"I don't really believe in good and evil, you know?" said Taako. "You do what you need to survive and try not to hurt anyone unintentionally."

"We have a whole code about who we hunt," explained Lup. "Those who use their magic to hurt people for fun or for profit, that sort of thing. It's just quicker to say 'evil'."

Taako still looked unconvinced. "I'm just saying, stop worrying about it. You are who you are. It doesn't matter either way."

Lup looked at him until her brain started hurting again and she had to look away. "Usually people try to reassure me I must have been a good person when I say that."

"That's not how Taako works. You do you."

She laughed. "Well, thanks, Taako."

He gave her a fist bump.

\--

"Why do you have a red robe!" yelled the orc woman, pointing at Lup. She looked terrified.

Lup and Taako exchanged a glance. "I like red?" said Lup.

"Are you here for the ████████?" she demanded.

Lup cocked her head slowly to the side. "No," she said. "I have no idea what you just said."

"None of us are here for the khshhhhghh," Magnus affirmed.

The orc woman stared at them. "I— No, I can't take the risk. Not when one of you is in a red robe." She turned her device on one of the shredders and turned tail to flee.

"Well, that was unfriendly," said Magnus.

\--

"I thought you said there wouldn't be a giant spider!" yelled Magnus.

\--

"ABRA-CA-FUCK-YOU!"

"Rad," said Lup approvingly.

\--

"Did your umbrella just... eat Magic Brian's wand?"

Lup patted the Umbra Staff affectionately. "That's what it does. I told you it was kick-ass."

\--

"My father, Cyrus Rockseeker," Gundren began.

Lup swallowed. She could feel her ears pressed way back and hoped none of the others were looking at her.

Gundren was continuing his story, and _none_ of it was right. With Merle's Zone of Truth he should be forbidden from lying, so either he believed it to be true, or... She didn't know what else.

She listened with growing incredulity until finally she reached her breaking point and clapped her hands together sharply.

"No," said Lup. "None of that is true, and nobody is entering that vault."

Merle and Gundren immediately burst into a chorus of protests.

"I'm sorry, I know I told you I was here because of the Black Spider, but that was secondary to my primary mission, which is to make sure _nobody enters that vault_."

They were still arguing about it when Killian returned.

"I thought you weren't here for the ████████," said Killian, once she understood the situation.

"I have no idea what you just said," said Lup. "But I know there's an item in this vault that was put away so it would never be found again."

Killian raised her hands placatingly. "Lup, I swear to you, my mission is to retrieve the ████████ so that it can be destroyed."

"It can't be destroyed!" said Lup. "It has to be locked away! I know because I'm the one who put it in there."

Killian's gaze was focused on Lup's shoulder... no, on the clasp of her robe. "████████ never said anything about how to handle _this_ ," she muttered to herself.

"I don't know why, or even what it is, but I know it's too dangerous for anyone to handle," said Lup.

Killian shook her head. "My boss has a way to destroy it," she said. "You can come with me. You can carry it yourself, if that makes you feel better."

"I'd 'feel better' if we didn't open the fucking vault!" yelled Lup.

"What's in that vault is my birthright," Gundren proclaimed from behind them. "I won't let it be destroyed!"

And the vault door swung open.


	2. Interlude: Three Days Earlier

**__** _SoulKeeper Clan Compound_

"I'm so _bored_ ," complained Icona. "It's been weeks since we've had a job. Months, practically!"

"That's a good thing, surely," said Lup. "No evil wizards around is good news."

"Lup does have a point," Gwen pointed out. "But there must be _something_ we can do that isn't sitting around the Compound killing time."

Of the SoulKeeper clan, Icona and Gwen were the two she was closest to in age, at least as far as they could tell, given the others were a human and a halfling respectively, and Lup was an elf who couldn't remember her own birthdate.

But sometimes they felt indescribably _young_.

"Kunal has even run out of training exercises to give me," said Icona miserably. "I'm going to have to fight something if I want to level up."

"Did you want to spar?" asked Lup.

"No!" She took a step back and glared at Lup.

Lup smirked. The other junior members of the clan - and some of the seniors - had given up sparring Lup shortly after she graduated to journeyer level. 

Gwen and Icona continued to bicker. "Anyway, we can't go around wishing for something to fight or we'll end up with, I don't know, a manticore or something," said Gwen.

"A lich," said Icona.

"I don't know," Lup interjected. "At least liches can be reasoned with."

"Liches are completely irrational killing machines," said Icona, confused.

"I thought a lich could hold anchor themselves to their living identity if they had a very strong emotional attachment to hold on to?" said Lup.

The others stared at her. Gwen coughed uncomfortably.

Lup sighed. "Is that not common knowledge?"

"Sometimes I'm really glad I know you now, not before," said Icona. Gwen cuffed her on the shoulder. "What?"

"Not appropriate," said Gwen. "But Lup, liches are some seriously dark magic."

"Surely we need to know as much as possible about our enemy so that we can attack it where it's weakest," said Lup.

"We have an agreement with the Raven Queen that all liches are reported and left to her bounty hunters to deal with," said Gwen.

"You're assuming we'll always know we're dealing with a lich in time to pass it off," said Lup.

"I think it's pretty easy to spot liches," said Icona. "What with them being composed entirely of raw magical energy and all that."

That also felt wrong, but Lup knew when to hold her tongue. She shrugged. "Well, I'll leave you to it. I need to start the stew for dinner." She smoothed her robes out and walked to the compound kitchen.

\--

Cooking duty was one of the clan chores that Lup genuinely enjoyed. She didn’t know when or how she’d learned to cook, but it came to her naturally. She sliced onions neatly, concentrating on the fall of the knife.

Lup slid the onions into the pot and stirred them until they were lightly browned, then put her hand out for the mushrooms. After a moment of nothing, she turned. The mushrooms were sitting still in their sack, unsliced.

She groaned and yanked the pot off the heat. Well, a few caramelised onions wouldn't hurt the stew. She finished preparing the mushrooms, along with the rest of the vegetables, and returned the pot to the heat.

Upon promoting her to journeyer, Kunal had said, "Whoever you were before we found you, you were not a level 5 wizard. You pick everything up way too fast. And in battle, you're too unpredictable. You're an asset, but a terrifying one."

Lup didn't feel particularly terrifying. 

She continued to stir the pot.

She didn't think she was unpredictable, either. Her teammates just never knew how to react to her tactics.

Lup drew out a spoonful of the stew and poked at the carrot with a fork. It was... well, it wasn’t overcooked. Lup never ruined her cooking. But it was definitely mushy.

She dropped the spoonful back into the pan and jumped as Gwen said her name.

"I think it's ready now," said Lup. She could smell the meat on the other side of the kitchen, just starting to edge towards overcooked.

"Great!" Gwen leaned back against the counter, which put her head roughly on a level with the top of it. The halfling steps were on the other side. "What were you thinking about? That was the third time I've called your name."

Lup shrugged. "Nothing, really. Wondering about the person I was before. The usual."

Gwen sighed. "You know that Icona doesn't mean anything by it."

"She does, but she thinks it's a compliment." Lup shrugged. "Maybe she's right. Maybe I'm better off not knowing."

Gwen gnawed at her lip for a moment. "Oh! I came in here to tell you, Kunal wants to see you after dinner." She was looking at Lup with wide eyes. A late summons to the clan leader's chambers was rarely a good sign.

"We were talking about fire traps this afternoon," said Lup. "He probably just had another idea he wanted to share." Gwen would worry herself into a week of insomnia if you gave her half a chance.

"He had a visitor earlier," said Gwen, not dissuaded in the slightest. "After dinner."

"I'll go see him," sighed Lup. "But first we have to get dinner on the table."

The stew was fine. Not one of her better efforts, but perfectly edible. 

\--

After dinner was finished, Lup pulled her robe tight across her shoulders and crossed the compound to the clan leader's chambers.

Kunal's expression was serious when Lup walked in. "I have a mission for you."

Lup waited expectantly.

"I've received reports of increased activity around Wave Echo Cave," said Kunal. They were watching Lup closely.

Lup didn't have to feign surprise. "Well, fuck."

"A dwarf is leading the expedition. He's telling people he's searching for the Lost Mine of Phandalin, and if that's true, it's none of our business. But if he's looking for the vault, that's another story."

She nodded. 

"And he's not the only one who's been asking questions. Another party were seeking information about an elf wizard in a red robe who'd been passing through a decade ago."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" asked Lup.

"I don't think they've uncovered anything we didn't already know," Kunal continued, ignoring her. "But we've always assumed whatever it was you hid in that vault, you couldn't be the only person to know of it."

"So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to go to Wave Echo Cave and report back as soon as you find something out. Don't engage unless you have to."

"Alone?" 

"I do trust you, Lup. You've proved your loyalty over and over." 

Being trusted was nice, but Kunal was sending her into a potentially dangerous situation alone and knew it. She raised an eyebrow.

"I can't risk anyone else in the clan entering Wave Echo Cave," said Kunal. "We all felt it, when we rescued you. Whatever is in that vault, it wants to be found. For whatever reason, you can resist it."

Lup thought back to Cyrus Rockseeker's face, the naked desire and victory as he assaulted her and seized the... Her brain stalled out.

She understood why Kunal was sending her alone. 

"All right," she said. "I'll leave first thing tomorrow."

Lup stopped by Gwen's quarters after leaving Kunal's, and explained the basics of the situation. Gwen didn't know about Wave Echo Cave, and Kunal wanted it to stay that way. "It's a mission, and we think it may be connected to... To my past."

"Oh," said Gwen. "Kunal is sending you alone?"

Lup nodded. "I'm going to be leaving at first light. So I'm saying goodbye now."

"You're scared of what you're going to find out," said Gwen. She clasped her hands together. "Whatever you find out, you have a home here, Lup. I promise."

Gwen was a little sanctimonious and a worry-wart, but she was a good friend. Lup swallowed around the lump in her throat. "Thank you."


	3. Part Two

<<<<<<<<<

**Ten Years Earlier...**

The vault door slammed closed, Cyrus ablaze behind it. Lup pressed her fists against her closed eyes, fighting off tears. What was one more death, anyway? She was just lucky he hadn't managed to touch her with his dagger.

She heard the unmistakable sound of a heavy boot skidding on gravel, and looked up. She didn't recognise the man standing before her, but she knew what he was there for. "It's too late," she said. "It's beyond anyone's reach now." She was so, so tired of killing. "Just let it go."

"I've been watching you for weeks. Power like that deserves to be shared, not hidden away," said the wizard. "I'd say the same for you, but you'll only get in my way." He pulled out his wand, clutching something else in his other hand. "I cast Imprisonment."

The world turned dark.

>>>>>>>>>>

 

They followed Gundren's trail of charcoal and destruction as quickly as they could. Lup's mind was a clamour of "not again not again not again", although no matter how she tried she couldn't remember what she was so afraid of.

Phandalin was still standing, at least for now.

A human burst out of the bar in the centre of town, slightly singed, wild panic pouring off him. "You're back!" He stumbled over to them and rested his hands on his thighs, panting. "You have to help. I've never seen Gundren like this. He's..." He looked up, and shook his head quickly. "Uh, Taako, why do you have a simulacrum?"

Lup gritted her teeth and held out a hand. "Hi. I'm Lup."

The human drew back, startled. "Lup? You're Lup?"

"Have we met?" asked Lup, looking at him more carefully. He looked like an ordinary human. And yet there was _something_ there, not recognition as such, but something... heavy.

"I've been looking for you," said the man. "But... I don't know what I'm supposed to do once I find you."

Taako cleared his throat. "Uh, keep on track here, Barold. Dwarf on fire? Remember that?"

"Right. Yes." He gave Lup one last look. "We have to calm him down!"

"We can't fight him like this," said Killian. "He's too powerful. Our only hope is to get him calm enough that we can force him to surrender the glove."

The door of the bar erupted in a shower of sparks and Gundren stalked out to plant himself in front of Merle. "I finally have the power I need to wipe out those damn orcs. Why would you want to stop me?"

Lup heard Taako ready _charm person_ , and shook her head. That wasn't going to work. Gundren was too far gone to control with magic. "We need to get him out of here, and we need to evacuate the town. If he loses control..." Her thoughts dissolved into static. "I don't know what's going to happen, but Killian looks pretty freaked out."

"Evacuate," repeated Killian. "Yes. Of course." She looked at Taako and Magnus. "You stay with Merle, see if you can't get Gundren out of town. I can't help here, so Lup and I are going to get everybody out. You take him north, we'll tell everyone to head south."

"I'm coming with you," said Barry, although he was looking at Lup again.

"If it looks like Gundren is losing it, get underground. Jump in a well, I don't know. You can't be near him if he goes off."

"Right," said Taako. "Got it."

" _I'm_ not going to take it off you," Merle was telling Gundren, with enough emphasis on the first word that Lup winced and hoped Gundren was too distracted to notice.

"It's my birthright," said Gundren.

"I'm not going to take it off you," repeated Merle. "We're going to take a walk _outside the town_ so nobody else tries to interfere with your plans."

Gundren hesitated. Merle went to put a friendly arm across Gundren's shoulders but thought the better of it when Gundren flinched.

"How long do we have?" asked Lup.

"I don't know," said Killian. "All I know is that nobody who put that glove on has managed to take it off. He's going to lose control, and if he does it will destroy Phandalin."

"I thought you said we could calm him down," said Barry.

Killian threw her hands up in the air. "It's worth a shot! But if we're going to evacuate this town we need to do it _now_!"

\--

They convinced the remaining bar patrons that they wanted to run south, as far away as possible, then they split up and went from building to building spreading the word.

Some of the residents had already taken the hint and left, but most were locked tight in their home. Some took more convincing than others, and some just plain refused to believe her, no matter how many iterations of "Take any valuables and leave" Lup threw at them.

They'd gathered several dozen people on the southern edge of town when the inferno happened.

The heat was incredible, the sound so loud it completely covered the screams and cries of the townsfolk, and there was so much light that she couldn't keep her eyes open. When the sound finally faded, turning into crying children and crackling flames, she opened her eyes again and sucked in a breath.

She started coughing immediately from the smoke. Her cheeks were wet, although she didn't remember crying.

"Taako," wheezed Lup. "Magnus, Merle. We have to find them." She struggled to get to her feet.

Killian grabbed her arm. "If they were with Gundren when he went off, they're dead. You can't go in there yet, everything is still burning."

Lup shook her head. "They can't be dead." But there was nothing in the north of the town but flames and smoke.

They couldn't be dead. She had to introduce Merle and Gwen. They would hate each other, and it would be _glorious_. And Magnus and Icona would get along like a house— like long lost cousins.

And Taako...

Well. He couldn't be dead.

"We can try to put the fires out," said Lup. "Save as much of the town as we can. I can cast _create water_ , I still have a couple of spell slots left."

"I can too," said Barry, from his position curled up in the dirt. He still looked two steps away from death. "I've recovered a few."

"We can at least prevent it from spreading further through the town," said Lup. "Between us I think we can make a firebreak."

\--

The buildings closest to the northern entrance to Phandalin were completely destroyed, the ground where they should have been turned to a circle of black glass.

Towards the centre of the circle they saw a distant figure. A dwarf, with his hand outstretched.

It was impossible to run on the smooth surface of the glass, but Lup made her best effort.

As they got closer, they made out three more irregularities in the otherwise completely flat plane of glass. Three figures, lying spread eagled next to a jagged hole in the glass, surrounded by a shallow puddle of water. They sat up as Lup approached.

"You're alive," said Magnus, delighted.

" _You're_ alive," said Lup. "We thought for sure—"

"Takes more than a massive inferno to take care of us," said Taako, pointing a finger gun at her.

Lup wanted to fall to her knees, take a rest on the relative stability of the ground until her muscles stopped shivering. Instead, she helped Taako get to his feet. She looked past him to the blackened dwarven figure and winced. "I'm sorry about your cousin," she said to Merle.

"What happened? Did you—" said Killian at the same time, then cut herself off guiltily.

Merle just looked at his feet.

"We got him to a farm outside town," said Magnus. "He was calmer, closer to normal. But then there were some orcs on the road, who drew on us when he yelled at them, and he just... There was nothing we could say to calm him down again."

"We jumped into a well, like Killian said. And we almost drowned, so thanks for that," said Taako.

"I cast water walk!" yelled Merle. "You were fine!"

"We've already retrieved the glove," said Taako, holding out his pack to Killian. "It survived the blast, although Gundren didn't."

" _Don't_ bring that thing near me," said Killian, backing up. "Can't you feel it?"

Whatever was in the bag, it wanted Lup to take it from Taako. _Oh, you again,_ it seemed to be saying. _Are you still sure you don't want to use me? We could be amazing together. All you'd need to do is take it from him. He wouldn't be much of a challenge for you.  
_

Well, that wasn't happening.

Killian brought her bracer up and fiddled with it. "I'm going to call the ████████." She looked back at the smoke still rising into the sky. "At least we got the ████████."

"You did everything you could," said Magnus. "We all did."

"We saved dozens of people and a third of the buildings in the down," said Barry. "I know it's not much, but..."

"I'll get the ███████ to send some people down to help rebuild," said Killian.

A perfectly round sphere floated out of the sky to land on the flat plane of glass with a faint plink.

Killian looked at the five of them with an expression of extreme weariness. "I'm bringing all of you with me," she said. The sphere slid open, revealing four seats inside. "Uh, I guess two of us are going to need to stand."

"Shotgun!" yelled Magnus, and the ensuing shuffle left Lup and Barry standing together at the back.

Lup watched the ground fall away beneath them, then swallowed and turned to face Barry. "You said you were searching for me, earlier."

Barry shifted his weight from foot to foot for a moment. "Yeah. Someone... I guess you could call him my mentor? He said if I ever found you, not to let you go. But he didn't tell me why."

"Huh," said Lup. "What's his name? It sounds like he knows more about me than I do."

Barry's eyes grew hunted. "I can't say," he admitted, at last.

"And I suppose you can't bring me to him, either," said Lup.

"I don't know where he is," Barry told his knees.

"It's frustrating, this whole amnesia thing," said Lup conversationally. "Every lead I get just evaporates as soon as I get close."

Barry glanced over at her. "Yeah, tell me about it." He paused. "You don't remember who you are?"

"Nothing before the last eight years," said Lup.

"So Taako..."

"We met for the first time two days ago."

Barry's jaw dropped. "But you look—"

"Exactly the same, yes, we know."

The second moon was growing larger, closer now, details on the surface becoming distinct. It wasn't so much a moon as it was... a city?

"Maybe there'll be answers in there," said Barry. He took a deep breath. "Fuck, I hope I'm making the right decision."

 

* * *

 

Killian left them in the hangar, promising to return as soon as she'd obtained authorisation for them.

One of the guards took pity on them and started a conversation. He gave them brandy and flirted with Magnus, who didn't seem to notice.

It was a long, nauseated wait until Killian returned, walking a little behind a tall, older woman. "Welcome," said the stranger. "You may call me the Director." She looked them all over, one by one.

When Director's eyes landed on Lup they went wide with surprise. She took a few steps forward, then stopped abruptly. "Barry Bluejeans?! How are you even _alive_?"

Barry blinked at her slowly. "Have we met?"

The Director rubbed her forehead. "No. No, I've just... Heard of you."

"Uh," said Barry. "I didn't think I was notable enough that..."

"Right. Yes. Barry, I'm going to need you to come with me. The rest of you can go with Killian to ████████." She gave Lup one last, searching look and then turned.

Barry's eyes were wide. He looked back at Lup with poorly concealed panic and confusion.

Lup took a step after them and found her way firmly blocked by the guards. "Can I _please_ go with them?" she tried, with her most harmless smile.

Avi smiled apologetically in return and shook his head.

"That was weird," said Killian. She looked at the four of them remaining. "Well, you better come with me, I guess."

\--

"That is a fucking dope-ass jellyfish," said Lup.

\--

They followed the guard into the grand dome and into what appeared to be a throne room. The Director was pacing in front of the nominal throne at the centre, but composed herself when they entered.

"Taako and Lup. Killian said twin elf wizards but I never thought..." She cut herself off. "Merle. Magnus. Welcome to the Bureau of Balance."

"I don't know what you think you know about us," drawled Taako, "But I think you need to loop us in."

"As far as I'm aware, I only met Taako yesterday," said Lup.

The Director looked at them, then drew a breath. "We can get to that. For now, the highest priority is destroying the gauntlet."

"And paying us," prompted Taako.

"Of course, the four of you will all be paid very handsomely," said the Director.

"There were five of us," said Lup. "What happened to Barry?"

"He's unharmed," said the Director, which was not the kind of phrasing Lup liked hearing from people in positions of authority. "We just need to question him about his connection to the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet."

"He worked for Gundren Rockseeker," said Magnus, confused. "Same as us."

The Director pursed her lips. "It's a little more complicated than that. There's a lot you don't know about Barry Bluejeans. Did you know he's a necromancer?"

"A _necromancer_?" said Lup. "Barry Bluejeans?"

"Yes. We don't know what he was doing posing as Gundren Rockseeker's bodyguard. It could be completely innocent."

"But he looks like a nerd," protested Taako.

The Director rubbed her temples. "Can we please destroy the gauntlet now? I promise you, I'll answer all your questions later."

Lup watched the gauntlet as the Director explained the spheres and the destruction procedure. She watched as Magnus placed the gauntlet in the sphere, and watched as the sphere disappeared.

When the sphere was reopened and it was empty, Lup let out a long, shaky breath.

"I will be happy to welcome you all on board the Bureau of Balance as Reclaimers," said the Director. "Tomorrow you will complete the Test of Initiation and, if you are successful, obtain your bracers. I have... a lot to do today." She clapped her hands together. "Davenport will show you to our temporary housing dome."

"What about our questions?" asked Magnus.

"Tomorrow," said the Director. "I'll answer your questions tomorrow. _After_ you pass the Test of Initiation."

\--

The four of them gathered in their assigned dorm room, Merle and Magnus on one bunk, Lup and Taako on the other. They'd already swept the room for magic and found nothing suspicious.

"We don't have any proof that what she said about Barry is true," said Lup. She tapped her finger on her forearm thoughtfully. "Although he definitely had secrets, and he was worried about visiting the moon base."

"You heard what she said," said Merle. "If we go rogue they'll hunt us down, just like Magic Brian."

"Magic Brian went rogue because he wanted to claim a Grand Relic for himself, not because he wanted the hell out of this place," Taako pointed out.

"I think we can trust her," said Magnus.

The rest of them gave that all the weight it deserved, and moved on. "I just don't think we have any choice but to go along with the Director," said Merle.

"We saw what the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet was capable of. If the rest of the artefacts are anywhere close to its power, bringing them in is the right thing to do," admitted Lup.

"I don't think she's telling us everything she knows," grumbled Taako.

"Well, she has as little reason to trust us as we have to trust her," said Magnus. "We can't expect her to tell us everything on the first day."

"She didn't tell us _anything_ ," said Taako.

Lup nodded in agreement. She'd thought coming here would bring her some answers, but all she was getting was more questions.

"I doubt we can even get off this moon base without her help," said Merle. "So we're stuck here until tomorrow."

"We should just try to sleep," said Magnus. "We'll need to be rested for this test tomorrow." He actually looked excited at the prospect.

The others grudgingly admitted the wisdom of it, and crawled into bed.

\--

Lup lay in her bunk, but rest was a long way from coming.

Even after the Voidfish's ichor, the way she felt when she thought about Taako was the same as before, and the same as when she had tried to remember what she'd hidden in the Rockseeker vault. That memory was clear now, but no less troubling.

But why hadn't being inoculated restored the memory of her past?

Lup had known enough about the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet to sacrifice Cyrus Rockseeker the second he put it on. She'd done it without hesitation or sympathy.

She remembered doing it, but she didn't know _why_. How had she known so much about the Gauntlet?

Lup tried to be a responsible person. It was a challenge, because being irresponsible was usually a lot more fun.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn't find the fun in lying about this.

And she had other questions. Why had the Director recognised Lup and Taako? Why had Barry been so worried when he realised they were approaching the Moon? And why would a necromancer - if he was a necromancer - be looking for Lup?

She slid quietly out of bed, threw her robe over her nightgown and slipped out the door. None of the others stirred - if Taako was awake, he didn't follow her.

The guards saw the red robe before they saw her face, and it was a tense moment before they calmed down enough to listen to her. "Can you tell the Director I need to talk to her?" said Lup. "It's about the Grand Relics, and it's important."

The guards looked sceptical.

"Tell her Lup wants to speak to her," she said. The Director had recognised Lup and Taako _before_ she recognised Barry, and that had to mean something.

"I'll call her here," said one of the guards, eventually. "Don't go anywhere."

A few minutes passed, then the guard returned and told her, "I'm to escort you to the Director's chambers."

The Director didn't look like she'd slept since their last meeting. She was just as neat and well put together as before. Lup readjusted her robe and wished she'd taken the time to dress properly before this meeting.

"You wanted to see me?" prompted the Director.

"I need to tell you something," said Lup. "It's about the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet."

The Director looked at her for a moment, then beckoned her to follow her into a separate, smaller room. There was a painting on the wall that was blurry and indistinct to Lup's eyes. "What is it, Lup?" Her stern expression softened somehow.

"I remember hiding the gauntlet in Wave Echo Cave," said Lup. "I don't remember why, but I'm the reason it was there. I contracted Cyrus Rockseeker to help me lock the gauntlet in the vault so..." Her breath caught. "So nobody could ever use it again. And I'm the reason he died. I locked him in that room with the gauntlet." She shook her head. "I can't be a Reclaimer. I don't know what connection I have to the artefacts, or to the red robes, but I don't think I can be trusted with them."

The Director burst into tears.

Lup froze in place, not sure whether it was appropriate to even approach this aloof stranger, let alone to comfort her through unexpected tears.

"I thought you were dead," said the Director. "You have to understand, Lup, I looked everywhere for you. I would never have done it if you were alive, I promise."

"Um," said Lup.

"Drink this," said the Director, "and I'll explain."

\--

It was a long time before Lup felt she could speak again. "I understand why you did it," she said at last. "I do. I promise you, Lucretia, I'm not angry." That was a lie. But anger wasn't useful right then. "But have to see that it's all gone wrong."

"I know," said Lucretia. "I've sent so many innocent people to their deaths trying to undo our mistakes. But you can help me, Lup. Together, the two of us can retrieve the rest of the artefacts. We can save this world."

Lup drew a shaky breath. "I'm not— How can you ask me to do this alone? Taako _doesn't know who I am_. I'm not doing this without him. When I didn't remember him, it was... Like having half a heart. No fucking way am I giving up my brother." It was so obvious, looking back, how she had missed him every day in a thousand small ways.

"Lup, I'm sorry, but you were _gone_. You didn't see what he was like without you. It was easier to just—"

"Lucretia. I'm not going to debate this with you. I know you did what you thought was right at the time. But now? Now we have to come up with a new plan." She folded her arms. "You've taken the Light of Creation from the gauntlet into your staff, so the Hunger are going to find us again."

"I know," said Lucretia. "But I have a plan. The same plan I talked about before. We seal this world off from the Hunger."

"And I'm telling you, you're not doing it alone. Restore all of their memories and we'll tackle it together."

"By abandoning this world after we've destroyed it through our own hubris?" said Lucretia, incredulous.

"No," said Lup. "We spent a century moving between worlds, always holding ourselves back, but this time... This time we _stayed_. I love this world. I have friends here."

Lucretia was crying again, and this time Lup hugged her close. "Listen. We can fight. Whether it's with your shield, or with something else, we can fight the Hunger and we can win. We have a whole year - maybe even more - to figure it out. I believe in us."

 

* * *

 

**Epilogue**

"So what _did_ you do with Barry?" asked Lup, pretending to more patience than she really felt. Thinking about Barry made her test tighten until it was hard to breathe.

"Oh. I cast Imprisonment on him," admitted Lucretia. Lup drew in a sharp breath, her hand twitching into a fist against her will. "But I can release him any time I want," Lucretia continued hurriedly. "I just needed him out of the way until I understood what was going on. He's been... A thorn in my side. Liches don't forget."

"I hate that spell," muttered Lup. "The sooner we get him out the better." She let the tension out of her fist slowly, taking deep breaths until she felt calm again. "Which reminds me, I need to check in with my clan or they're going to declare me a rogue and hunt me down."

Lucretia looked politely confused.

"I was imprisoned in Wave Echo Cave by a wizard who was stalking me for the gauntlet. Eventually a wizard hunting clan rescued me," Lup explained casually. She bit her lip. "It's going to be hard to explain all this in a Sending."

"I can help cast a ritual of far speaking," said Lucretia.

Lup blinked. "I'd forgotten." It was a spell they'd developed together decades ago.

Remembering was like being two people at once. She remembered being Lup, journeyer class wizard in SoulSeeker Clan, and she also remembered being Lup, kick-ass wizard of IPRE. She remembered being completely alone, and she remembered being Taako's twin.

She remembered meeting Barry Bluejeans in Phandalin and not recognising him.

"You need to concentrate on the person you want to talk to, and I'll cast the ritual," said Lucretia.

Three pieces of wire and an emerald later, she had a vision of her clan leader before her. They looked... confused.

"Clan Leader?" said Lup.

"Lup? Is that Lup? We thought you were dead!" Kunal sounded shocked, almost frantic.

"Oh, fuck," said Lup. She winced. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to contact you until now."

"No, _we're_ sorry. It was hours before anyone could respond to your emergency beacon, and by then you were gone. Everyone assumed you'd died in the fire."

"I decided dealing with the artefact was higher priority," said Lup. "It's been denatured now. Nothing like..." She swallowed. "Like what happened there in Phandalin can ever happen again."

Kunal blasphemed gratefully.

"And, I got my memory back! I can't tell you a lot about it yet - literally can't, the same magic that took my memory means you won't understand me if I do."

"I see. And what did you find out?

She smiled. "I have a brother. A twin. He doesn't remember me yet, but he will soon. And I have a team... a _family_ of very dear friends."

On the other side of the room, she saw Lucretia turn away and rub at her eyes.

Kunal looked confused, but they smiled. "I'm glad. And when will you be coming home?"

Lup swallowed. "Soon. A few days yet, I have a lot to do here yet. And when I do, I'm going to have a new job for the clan. The biggest job imaginable."

Lucretia was looking at her again, and Lup threw her a thumbs up. "But I'm pretty sure we can handle it if we work together."

**Author's Note:**

> \- I'd like to thank autocorrect for the immortal line "lichens don't forget".  
> \- Original characters are named after the cast of Trolls. Which means Gwen's full name is technically Gwen Stefani, Kunal is Kunal Nayyar and Icona is Icona Pop. I really debated including original characters at all, but it seemed necessary to establish Lup's new connection to Faerun in some fashion.  
> \- This does not include Saren, Lup's phantom steed, whose name is a mashup of Sarah and Karen.


End file.
